Quick-acting wrench.



R. MCMILLEN.

,I QUICK ACTING WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED Ams, IaI4.

1,163,428. Patented De. 7, 1915.

FIGS.

wITNESSES INVENI'QR: ci@ 0 I nl IAIIu/I PIAANoGRAvH C0.. WASHINGTON. n. cv

l characters ROBERT MCMILLEN, 0E rrr'rsnnncn, PENNSYLVANIA.

QUICK-ACTING WRENCH.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatl, ROBERT MGMILLEN, a citizen vof the United States, residing yat Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Quick-Acting W'renches, of which the following is a speciiication. y j

The object `of Athis invention is to provide a novel form of wrench which shall be quick-acting in its nature, and operable, with a maximum of celerity and ease, toactuate the movable jaw toward and away from the fixed jaw. f

A. further object is to provide a device of this nature which shall becomposed of a minimum number of parts, and which will thus be exceedingly simple in construction; whereby the wrench may be manufactured Aand marketed at an attractive figure, so as to complete with the wrenches now on the market. o

lWith these objects in view, and others some of whichmay appear `as the specification proceeds and the nature of theinvention more fully appears, the invention compre-kk hends the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will` ,be hereinafter fully described in the specification, summedup in the claims, and illustrated in the drawing.` .i

In the drawing, in which likereferencedenote corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure `l isa side elevation of a wrench embodying my improvements; Fig/2y is atop plan view thereof; F ig. 3 isa longitudinal section; and Figd is a detail sectional viewon the line `L1---4, Fig. yl.

Referring, now, in detail, to the drawing: 3 designates-a fiXedjaw carried atoneendof a shank 2, the other end whereof is provided with a handle 12. 'The shank 2 islprovided,

longitudinally, alonga portionof its top,

with ratchetfteeth, forming a rack 9.*y

4 designates a complemental, movable j aw carired at one end of a` shank 4c, the other end whereof is provided with a handle 4P inclined from, or at an anglekto, the handle 12.

Desirably, the j aw 4,-, shank 4 and handle 4b are formed intwo complemental halves or sections, the kshank portions 4a of `which embrace the shank 2; and said two sections or halves are suitably united, as .by rivetsy 13. kThe shank 4a is provided with a longitudi- Specificaton of Lett-ers Patent. i Application 1edApri18,'1914. Serial No.7830,378.

Patented Dec. 7,1915.

nally-eXtending Seated in an interior, substantiallyk annular socket l1, toward the top of the shank ta, and capable ofka `partial rotary movement therein, 1s the substantially Vannular terminal `5a of a pawl or dog 5, provided with comy plemental ratchet-teeth engageable with the teeth of the rack 9. Upward movement of the dog or pawlv 5 is limited by an inclined ledge or shoulder 11a carried by the ytop portion, of the shank 451. Means are provided for normally maintaining the ydog or pawl 5 in engagement with the rack 9, and, in this instance, these means comprehend' a leaf` spring 6, one end of which is secured, as at 7, to `the under surface of the handle.y 4b, and the other end ywhereof projects into the slot 4C and is seated ina notch 51? in one end yof `the pawlor dog 5. Means are provided, also,

for lmoving the dog out of engagement with the rack 9, against the tension or stress of the spring 6; and, in this instance, ysaid means comprehend a `lever V8., having"qfulcrum-trunnions 10, 10, seated in the opposite walls of the slot 4f. One end ofthe. lever 8k projects into a notch 12 in the end of the dogj, and above the notch 5", and the other endof said leveris preferably provided with aifingerspiece 8a for convenient manipulation of the lever. p

12a isa shoulder at the point of union of fthe shank 2 and the handle 12, which, in the operation of the wrench, engages with a nose 4d carried at the top lof the shank'ta, whereby4 s movement of either the shank 4 or the shank 2, in one direction, is limited. n f j Obviously, in the operationof the wrench,

when it is desiredto move the aw 4L toward the jaw 3, theoperator presses downward` Y upon the `finger-piece 8a, rocking the leverl 8` on` its fulcrum, and lifting the dog 5 out of engagement with the rack9, whereupon the jaw .t may be shifted quickly toward the aw v5, until the two jaws 3 and'c clamp the object to be operated upon, such as a pipe or nut; the operator then removing his finger from the lever 8 and the dog 5 once more automatically engaging the rack 9, under., the iniuence of the spring.

Elaborating upon the above description of the operation, itmay be said that,fassuming thejawsl are in closed position,k when the wrench is takenup by the operator'todo `some work, theoperator holds the wrench yin y slotfi?, through which the shank 2 projects.

Y a vertical position, then presses downwardY upon the lever 8, releasing the dog 5 from engagement with the' rack 9, whereupon the shank 2 drops, bygravity, until Vstopped by' the shoulder 2fL coming into contact withthe nose 4d; whereupon the operator withdraws Vhis finger from the lever 8 and the dog,

under the influence of the spring, engages the rack 9. The jaws?) `and 4 now being apart, the operator places the jaw 4 in en-A gagement with the pipe or nut, andturns the wrenchY so that the shank 2l will slide in a direction the reverse of that first mentioned, whereupon he again-presses downward upon the lever 8, releasing the dog from `therack 9, the shank2 then slides ordrops so as to vthe operator being used to operate the shank Vby the handle 12.

For the purpose of a fulldisolosure of my invention, I have herein described in some detail al specific embodiment thereof; but it will be apparent thatV numerouschanges might be made inV the physical embodiment K of my invention, within the scope'of ther appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, Vdesire to be vunderstood as limiting myself, in the broader aspect of my invention, tothe specific construction shown and described. Y

Itvwill ybe apparent, from theabove de scription, that anV important object ofmy invention is to simplify, improve, andA render Amore efficient that type of lwrenches Wherein'the grip or holdof the jaws is augmented by an, appreciable movement of the Yadjustable jaw towai'd the fiXed jaw, Which movementis effected and'controlled bytheV K "handhold of the operator; and that l pro- 45l vide a quick-acting wrench', having a sure grip, and which releases the grip instantly at the will of the operator.

The grip onf-the pipe,in my construction of wrench, is, in a measure, Vlike gripping around the pipe. "When the grip is taken, the outer end ofthe jaws come closertogether than 'they do at the pole or shank,

and the grip on the object is most secure. K-

This action of the jaws results fromy the `-movement toward each other of handles 4b andfl2 under the infiuence o f the'operators grip, at such time shank 4a lhavinga rocking movement on shank 2, shank 4ZL and its jaw being in effect a lever of Vwhich the -upybis per or'inner end of jaw 4 which bears on `the Vunder edge -ofshank 2'constitutes the v'fulcrum,; This' lever object-gripping mo-l tion is opposed by spring 6 which holds the handles normally fully separated as in Figs. -l-and 3, f Thus it will be Seen that spring or curved obj ects.

6 performsthe double function of holding the parts extended or eXpandedand atvthe respective' `pivots and thereby compensating for the rocking motion for impairing the hold ofthe dog. The proportion, shape, and form of the wrench are such as to withstand all the force required in all its parts. Of course, jaws of other forms than that shown in the drawing maybe provided, as are best suited for pipes and other circular Also, the two poles or slianks of the wrenches may be lengthened for special work in inaccessible places.V

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim' as new and desire to secure zby Letters Patenty of Athe- United States is: l

l. A wrench comprising a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part consisting of a shank having a handle at one endand a jawy at its opposite end, the movable part havinga shank slidable on the shank of the fixed part, a jaw carriedV by the shank of the Y movable part Vand adapted to coperate with a fiXedpart jaw, a handle projecting from the sh ank ofthe movable part and adapted to combine with the fixed-part handle to form a handy grip, and means forvholding the fixed and movabley parts of the wrench i in adjusted relation.

2.` A wrench comprising a fixed part and a movableparathe fixed part consisting of a shank having a laterally projecting jaw at one end and a handle at its opposite end, the movable part consisting of a shank adapted to embrace and slide'onsthe shank of the fixed part, a laterally projecting aw on the movable-part shank adapted to coperate with the fixed-partij aw, a handle .projecting from the movable-part shankat the ,opposite side of the wrench from the jaws and adapted toY coperate with the fixed-part handle in forming a handY grip, the movable part of the wrench Lmounted torock on' the fixed part thereof when the respective handles are pressed toward each other and thereby change'the relative positions of the jaws, a

spring for holding the-wrench parts withV their handles normally-in expa'ndedrelation, and, releasable means Vfor vpreventing theV movable part from sliding on the Vfixed part. j

3. A wrench' comprising afiXed'part and a movable part-the fixed part consisting of a shank having a handle at one end and a jaw at its opposite end, and the movable part slidably mounted on thel shank of the fixed part and consisting of 'a .shank portion having a handleat one end anda jaw at its opposite end with the jaw adapted to Oppose the jaw of the fixed part,.the movable part adapted to roel; on the fixed part in response to movement of the handles toward each other and with said rocking motion changing the position of the jaws relatively to each other, a spring for opposing said rocking motion, and means for holding the movable part of the wrench from sliding on the fixed kpart thereof.

tlc. A wrench comprising a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part consisting of a shank having a laterally projecting jaw at one end and a handle at its opposite end, the movable part of the wrench consisting of a hollow shank slidabl'y mounted on the fixed-part shank, a laterally projecting jaw on the movable-part shank adapted to oooperate with the ixedpart jaw, a handle projecting from the movable-part shank and adapted t0 combine with the Xed-part handle in forming a hand grip7 the movable part of the wrench adapted to rock on the fixed part thereof upon pressing the handles toward each other and thereby change the relative positions of the jaws, a movable dog for releasably holding the movable part of the wrench from sliding on the fixed lpart thereof, and a spring adapted to oppose movement of the handles toward each other, the spring operatively connected to the dog for normally maintaining it iny holding position.

5. A wrench comprising a fixed part and a movable part, the fixed part consisting of able on the fixed-part shank, a laterally ex-` tending jaw on the movable-part shank adapted to cooperate with the fixed-part jaw, a lhandle projecting from the movable part shank and adapted to combine with the fixed-part handle in forming a hand grip, the movable part of the wrench mounted to rock on the fixed-part thereof upon pressing the handles toward each other and thereby change the relative positions of the jaws, a dog movably secured to the movable part of the wrench and adapted to releasably engage the fixed part thereof for Preventing relative sliding movement of the wrench parts, a dog-actuating lever pivoted to the movable part of the wrench, and a spring for opposing contraction of the grip-.forming handle parts, the spring operatively connected to the dog for opposing movement by the dog-actuating lever.

In testimony whereof, I'have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT MGMILLEN. Witnesses l/VALTEP. S. ZACHARY, E. T. BRANDENBURG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

